Thinking Point
Dr Ravinder Pall Saini
The writer is I.F.S. (retd.), PhD. (Forest Entomology), MBA (HRM), Member, Board of Management, Forest Research University, Dehradun
While serving in my cadre, the West Bengal Indian Forest Service, my most notable experience was to get motivated and work dedicatedly for the success of Joint Forest Management to protect and conserve forests in totality. I picked up the details and concept of Joint Forest Management (JFM) as an understudy forest officer at East Midnapore Forest Division from 1991 to 2004.
Incidentally, West Bengal pioneered this perception of the JFM programme, by the Arabari experiment, meaningfully achieving forest regeneration, biodiversity enhancement (especially Sal forests), reducing illicit felling and cultivating livelihoods for forest fringe communities through revenue sharing and free non-timber forest product access, creating an excellent, successful model for community-based conservation and rural employment.
Taking advantage of a well-knit three-tier panchayat system prevalent in West Bengal, a well-organised campaign supported by Government Orders was initiated fervently from 1990 onwards across the state, and it gradually spread and was successfully established in all the districts of West Bengal. I participated and contributed in this saga from 1991, first as an assistant officer and subsequently as Divisional Forest Officer from 1992 till 2004, working for JFM in the various forest divisions of East Midnapore, Cooch Behar, Wild life Division II Buxa and Purulia and as a senior motivator and evaluator while occupying hierarchical posts of Conservator to Principal Chief Conservator till my retirement in 2019. Important work was as Field Director, Buxa Tiger Reserve, Chief Conservator, Hills, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests, Wildlife, Director Sundarbans Biosphere Reserve and Managing Director West Bengal Forest Development Corporation.
Significant actions in the field
Joint Forest Management (JFM) in Bengal has achieved significant ecological, economic and social accomplishments. These achievements include the regeneration of Sal degraded forests, afforestation of degraded forests and lands recovered from encroachments, multifaceted enhancement of biodiversity and improved livelihoods for local communities through effective benefit-sharing models.
Forest conservation and protection: Efficaciously regenerated badly degraded Sal forests in the South Western forests of West Bengal. The degraded forest lands were afforested and this led to an overall increase in the state’s forest and green cover, wild fires came under control, anti-poaching initiatives for wildlife conservation were successful in protecting key species of tiger, rhino, elephants, bison, red panda, crocodiles and many species of migratory birds coming to Bengal during the winters, an increased biodiversity, reduced illicit felling, and preventing encroachment through community vigilance and voluntary vacation of encroached lands. Protection changed from barbed or concrete fencing to social fencing.
Social and institutional transformation: JFM has been a foremost step in changing forest governance from a state-centric, custodial model to a participatory method. The JFM concept has raised trust and a confident working relationship between previously conflicting forest departments and local villagers. Now the local communities are organised into democratic institutions (JFMCs) and prepare their own micro-plans for forest management of their area and their own socio-economic uplift.
Economic development: Provided significant income for local communities from timber sale proceeds, created rural employment in synergy with local panchayat bodies' schemes and increased access to small timber/ firewood/fodder.
Community development: Motivated community participation of JFMCs, promotion of collective actions and skills development in supportable practices like agro-processing, carpet weaving, honey collection, handicrafts and toy making, etc.
Alternative livelihoods: JFM committees were motivated and helped to form Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to promote alternative income sources like lac cultivation, honey collection, Sal leaf products making, home stays and ecotourism.
Income divergence: By numerous skill development trainings, JFM promoted skills in sustainable farming, animal husbandry and forest product processing, reducing dependence on forest-damaging practices.
Policy model: The West Bengal success story became the foundation for national JFM guidelines, proving that local rights’ appreciation and cooperative working with the well-established three-tier panchayat system at district, block and village level was decisive to well-planned overall sustainable forest management, development and conservation.
Impact areas
Biodiversity: Improved biodiversity index and increased wild herbivore populations.
Rural income: Increased incomes for women and families dependent on forest resources decreased.
Conflict reduction: Enhanced relationship and cooperation between the forest managers and the local fringe village population.
In spirit, West Bengal’s JFM transformed degraded lands to green forests and empowered local people, making it a leading example of successful people-participatory forest management, protection and conservation in India.
Notable achievements of West Bengal in JFM
West Bengal received the prestigious J. Paul Getty Award (often called the ‘Green Nobel’ ) in 1993 for its pioneering community-based conservation efforts for forest revival and management by establishing Joint Forest Management. Later on, again in 2022, the West Bengal Forest Department got the SKOCH Award for the Platinum Category in forest conservation.
Challenges ahead
Keeping aside its achievements, challenges remain, including safeguarding equitable benefit sharing among all community subgroups (particularly gender disparities), securing legal tenure rights for JFMCs and developing sustainable marketing channels for forest products and products manufactured by JFMCs.
Legal status: JFMCs often rely on administrative orders rather than permanent laws, leaving them susceptible to policy modifications.
Exclusive capture: Concerns remain about participatory segregation of sidelined castes or women who are excluded from decision-making, notwithstanding formal quotas being there for them.
Sustainability: Interest often diminishes when funding dries up, the need for better budgeting of development schemes needs to be kept in focus always.
JFM’s overall journey in West Bengal
West Bengal is the pioneer of Joint Forest Management (JFM) in India. Its works range from historic pilot projects to modern technology-driven conservation efforts.
1. The Arabari Experimentation (Midnapore): In 1972, forest officer A.K. Banerjee collaborated with 618 families to protect 1,272 hectares of degraded Sal (Shorea robusta) forest. Within 10 years, the degraded land was restored to a flourishing forest valued at approximately Rs 12.5 crores. Local villagers received a 25% share of the profits from the final timber harvest, employment in silviculture and free access to firewood and fodder.
Sundarbans Tiger Reserve initiatives: JFM in the Sundarbans focuses on eco-development and alternative livelihoods to reduce human-forest conflict.
Livelihood support: Activities include honey collection, permitted fishing, crab fattening and prawn cultivation.
Infrastructure: Joint Forest Management Committees (JFMCs) have built jetties (e.g., at Dayapur), community centres, water treatment plants and brick-soling pathways in interior villages.
Conservation: JFMC members participate in aquatic species management and embankment maintenance to protect the mangrove ecosystem.
West Bengal Forest & Biodiversity Conservation Project (JICA-assisted)
This large-scale project uses JFM for the amelioration of ecosystems across the state.
Afforestation: Over 600 JFMCs were established to carry out afforestation on 9,508 hectares of forest and non-forest land.
Wasteland conversion: Greenery has been restored to 30,000 hectares of wasteland in South Bengal.
Modernisation: Management now includes e-auctions for forest produce and direct electronic fund transfers to JFMC members’ bank accounts to ensure transparency.
Community & social initiatives
Sabuj Shree Scheme: A unique project where high-quality seedlings are distributed to mothers of newborns to encourage forest growth and celebrate new life; roughly 2.4 million mothers have received these.
Green colleges: Set up in areas like Gosaba and Purulia, these colleges train local youths in sustainable skills like lac cultivation, solar system repair and Sal leaf plate making.
Jalatirtha: A soil and water conservation scheme implemented in arid districts like Bankura and Purulia, benefitting over 1,700 hectares.
Wildlife management in North Bengal
Eco-tourism: JFMC members are increasingly involved in managing ecotourism and habitat restoration for species like elephants, leopards and gaurs.
Protection: In North Bengal divisions (e.g., Bankura), JFMCs have successfully reduced incidents of illegal grazing and forest fires, improving the survival rates of young plantations.
The journey of Joint Forest Management in India
It represents a major paradigm shift from colonial-era top-down state control to a participatory model that involves local communities in forest conservation.
1. Pre-JFM Era (Colonial to 1980s)
Colonial exclusion: During the 19th century, the British administration established state ownership over forests to exploit timber for railways and ship-building, often criminalising local use as ‘thievery’.
Post-Independence commercialism: The 1952 Forest Policy continued to prioritise national industrial needs and revenue over local rights.
Social forestry (1970s): Initial attempts to involve people focused on planting commercial crops on non-forest lands, but these often failed to meet local subsistence needs and led to increased conflict.
2. Early experiments and origins (1970s–1980s)
Arabari Pilot (1972): The roots of JFM lie in the Arabari forest range of West Bengal. Silviculturist A.K. Banerjee negotiated with 11 villages to protect degraded Sal forests in exchange for 25% of the timber profits and access to non-timber forest products (NTFP).
Haryana Model (1977): In Sukhomajri, villagers were persuaded to stop grazing their animals on hills in exchange for small dams that improved agricultural output, leading to natural reforestation.
3. Formal institutionalisation (1988–1990)
National Forest Policy (1988): This landmark policy reversed decades of commercial focus, declaring that the primary goal of forest management should be environmental stability and meeting the subsistence needs of forest-dependent people.
National guidelines (1990): The Government of India issued official circulars on June 1, 1990, directing all states to involve local communities and NGOs in regenerating degraded forest lands.
4. Nationwide expansion (1990s–2010s)
Rapid growth: By 2002, JFM had spread to 27 states, with over 63,000 Forest Protection Committees (FPCs) managing 14 million hectares.
Policy strengthening (2000): New guidelines were issued to give committees a legal identity under the Societies Registration Act, ensure at least 50% participation of women and extend JFM from only ‘degraded’ to ‘good’ forest areas.
Inclusion in NAP (2004): JFM became a core component of the National Afforestation Programme (NAP), aiming to cover all 173,000 forest fringe villages.
Scale by 2010: By 2010, the area under JFM reached 24.6 million hectares, managed by over 112,000 committees.
5. Modern evolution and challenges (2020s)
Current status: Today, JFM is a foundational element of India’s green missions, including the Green India Mission (GIM) and CAMPA initiatives.
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